


Write Me to Sleep

by L_Abbreviation



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Angst, Artistic Lance, Bisexual Lance, Depression, Fluff, Gay Keith, Highschool AU, Keith and Pidge are best friends, Lances canon family, M/M, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Smut, Soulmate AU, anyways enjoy, he's such a gay boy, if so it'll be later, klance, klangst, maybe? - Freeform, my heart, question mark?, someone save them, sorry in advance, soulmate, tags are annoying, to know this is a gay boy, you don't even have to ship klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-13 03:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14740871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L_Abbreviation/pseuds/L_Abbreviation
Summary: ~White patterns rested on the top of his hand, barely visible on his pale complexion. His lifted it closer to his face, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion at the floral marks decorating his skin.~Keith was never one to get close to people, never one to accept people into his life before they rejected him. But when the marks started showing up on his skin he knew he couldn't push this person away. He spends all day wondering who this boy is, questioning every face he passes by. Every face except the tall Cuban boy that now works at his favorite coffee shop. Surely it can't be him... right?





	Write Me to Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER  
> I do not think the characters I portray with certain mental illnesses actually have them in the canon show. I write to let my own feelings out and use it as a way of expression. This story contains a few dark subjects (such as depression, slight self-harm, and very minor suicidal thoughts) however I will be writing about them in the most realistic fashion I can. Thank you for reading my story it really means a lot with every read, comment, bookmark or kudos. Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas, and enjoy!

Keith always found bookstores calming, especially when they had a coffee shop right next door. He practically lived in Vrepit Sals, not only did they have endless shelves of books, but a small cafe with the most amazing food. It was the perfect place, time stood still and life lost all its problems whenever he spent his time there. 

Keith pulled his raven-black hair up, slipping it into a loose ponytail and allowed his bangs to fall over his forehead. The shop may have been the most relaxing place in Altea, Arizona but the heat certainly was a downside. The only cool air being emitted into the room was from an old fan that creaked in the back and a couple small fans on the ceiling over the cafe. Keith slumped in his seat (a red beanbag near the back of the bookshop) and lifted a warm cup of coffee to his lips. Black, bitter, but good. 

A sudden buzzing in Keith’s pocket caused him to jump, breaking him from whatever calm state he’d been in. He set the coffee and book on the floor beside him, pulling his phone from his pocket. 

**Shiro-Gone:** _ Hey Keith, you coming home anytime soon? It’s getting late and Dad wants you back for dinner  _

Keith rolled his eyes, sighing as he unlocked his phone and opened the messaging app.

**Keef:** _ yeah yeah i’m coming, what’re we having? _

**Shiro-Gone:** _ Just pizza, but still I’m only back from college for so long you should spend some time over here before I go back _

**Keef:** _ i know, okay fine i’ll be back in a little bit _

**Shiro-Gone:** _ Where even are you? Dad says you disappear for hours but never tell him where you’re going, not doing anything bad I hope? _

**Keef:** _ ugh no, and it’s not of your business alright. see you later _

With that Keith slipped his phone back into his pocket, brushing a loose strand of hair behind his ear. He reached down to grab his things before noticing something on his hand, it was faint but it was definitely there. White patterns rested on the top of his hand, barely visible on his pale complexion. His lifted it closer to his face, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion at the floral marks decorating his skin. Keith barely drew and it wasn’t too good when he did. This also wasn’t his style at all, he didn’t have any of his pens on him and honestly hadn’t drawn in a while as he was stuck in a major case of artists block at the time. Yet here this was, well drawn henna-like patterns stretching across his hand. 

Maybe he’d drawn it the night before and forgot to wash it off. He didn’t remember doing it but then again he always did stay up until at least 2 in the morning so the thought wasn’t too far off from probable. The only thing that kept him skeptical was that he’d never drawn anything like this in his life, he was more of a rough sketch kind of person. He mainly drew to let feelings out or to occupy himself in class when he was bored. Keith was somewhat of a doodler persay. 

Shaking the thought, Keith grabbed his cup of coffee, pressing the lid down tightly to ensure it wouldn’t spill. He picked up the book as well, slipping it into his bag before getting up and walking through the maze of bookshelves. 

“Keith!” The boy quickly turned, almost afraid to see who had caught him here. He let his shoulders relax as he saw the small girl sitting at a table, waving her arm and smiling brightly.

“Hey Pidge,” Keith grinned softly back as he walked over. 

“Leaving so early? You’re breaking your usual algorithm of hours spent here by about 54 minutes,” Pidge adjusted her glasses, tucking her short hair behind her ears. It stuck out at the sides, the light brown fitting perfectly with the soft lighting of the room. 

“How do you- oh forget it,” Keith chuckled, swinging his bag over his shoulder. “Shiro’s back from college for spring break and he wants me to come spend time with him before he has to go.” 

Pidge nodded, leaning against the table. “That’s understandable, Matt hasn’t come back yet and I doubt he will. College is stressful of course so I guess it’s alright.” Her smile faltered a bit before she looked back up to Keith. “Anyways, go spend time with your family you emo shit, they’re probably worry about where you are,” she chuckled before playfully punching his arm. 

“Oh shut it, gremlin,” Keith smirked and rolled his eyes, walking away as he turned back to wave goodbye. “I’ll see you later.”

“Text me!” Pidge waved back and went back to whatever she was doing on her laptop. 

Keith left the shop, harsh rays of sun hitting his skin as he stepped out. The sun was always a constant reminder of the many reasons he wanted to leave, to get out of the state he’d lived in his whole life. Luckily he did have one escape: His motorcycle, his red Kawasaki Ninja 650 ABS motorcycle he got just a few years ago. Frankly he cherished the thing with his life, caring about it more than he cared about anyone else. He climbed onto the seat, tucking his hair into the helmet as he slipped it on. 

Keith began driving down the road as it slowly became more crowded, cars eagerly making their way through the streets as people finished work. Keith wove through the cars, speeding up as he went and getting into his quiet neighborhood before the traffic got too bad. The houses were lined in rows and rows, backyards only separated by a single fence and the yards in front being shared. His motorcycle was definitely loud against the silence of the town he lived in, but he barely cared at this point. 

He pulled up to his building, an apartment complex hidden away in the back of the area that nearly no one resided in. Keith parked his bike in front of the building where he always did and took off his helmet, then headed up the stairs to the door he called home. He tugged it open, setting his keys on the table that sat next to the entrance. 

“I’m back,” he called out, pausing after closing the door and looking into the living room. The smell of pizza was absent, the house was quiet and seemingly empty. “Look, I thought you guys wanted me home for-” he immediately let his voice fall as he noticed his dad, fast asleep on the couch, “dinner…” With a sigh, Keith pulled out his phone and headed to his room, texting as he walked. 

**Gaylord:** _hey can i come over and hang for a bit?_

 **Pigeon:** _Have your gay emo ass in my household??? How could I resist?!_

 **Gaylord:** _lmao thanks, i’ll be over in just a bit_

 **Pigeon:** _See you soon, bring your nail polish weŕe gonna have a blast_

 **Gaylord:** _will do_

Keith grabbed a bag from beside his bed, stuffing his phone charger, black nail polish and ipad in it. He looked around the room a final time, noticing his sketchbook and mechanical pencil sitting on the desk; He grabbed those too, putting them in the bag before zipping it up and walking out, headphones around his neck. Just as he shoved his keys into his pocket and reached for the door he felt a gentle hand grip his shoulder. 

“Keith? Where are you going?” 

Keith turned around and rubbed his eyes. “Not now Shiro okay? I’m goin’ to Pidge’s for dinner.”

Shiro creased his eyebrows, pressing his lips together and scratching the back of his neck. “I’m sorry that didn’t work out, Dad said he’d be back from work in time to order some but he just, fell asleep.” He motioned to the man sleeping in the room. “You can’t just run off and leave when things get rough or frustrating, you need to be able to accept what’s going on rather than hiding from it.”

“I’m not hiding from anything,” Keith snapped, tightening his grip on the straps of his bag. “You guys get mad at me when I stay in my room all day but then you lecture me when I try to hang out with people?” 

“You know that’s not-”

“No, I don’t care alright,” Keith mumbled, pulling open the door and stepping out. “I’ll come back later tonight, I’m only staying for dinner and to hang out for a bit so don’t wait up for me.”

“Keith-” The door slammed before Shiro could say another word and Keith jogged back down the steps he’d been on barely minutes ago. He decided not to take his bike, he could easily walk to Pidge’s house from his own, it was only a block away. Keith placed his headphones over his ears, connecting them to the bluetooth on his phone. He pressed shuffle, not caring what was playing. But as he looked down at his phone he noticed his hand, it contained new marks. 

This time it appeared to be paint swatches, different gradients going across the top of his hand as if someone was testing colours to use. He froze in place, staring quizzically at his hand. He didn’t own paint, no one in his house did. The white patterns were gone but at least they blended in with his hands, this stood out evidently. Keith scratched at it until it began to hurt; The colours wouldn’t come off, they wouldn’t fade or peel. They were stuck there. 

Keith began walking again, slowly but surely as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his fingerless gloves. He slipped them on, deciding to put whatever this was on hold until he got time alone with Pidge. She was smart, the smartest person he knew, he figured if anyone could work this out it’d be her. He had an idea, but it wasn’t something he wanted to be true. It was the last thing he needed right now. 

He came up to a small house with a green minivan in the front. Small pinwheels stuck out of the dirt and spun gently as Keith went up the walkway towards the front door. He knocked softly, barking erupting from inside the house as he did so. 

“I got it, I got it!” He heard yelling and running around before the door swung open, a large dog immediately jumping around and barking at Keith’s presence. “Bae bae, calm down, it’s just Keith,” Pidge patted the animals head, then ushering her aside to let Keith through the door.

“Thanks Pidge, hey Bae Bae,” he smiled and ruffled the dogs fur playfully, closing the door behind him. 

“Food’ll be ready in just a bit, we can go upstairs and hang until then,” Pidge grinned as she motioned for Keith to follow. The two went up the stairs, navigating through the hall as they arrived to a door painted black with a single poster taped to the front. A cartoon alien head lay in the middle of the poster, the words, “I don’t Believe in Humans” plastered along the bottom. Keith found it at Hot Topic two years ago and figured it would make a decent birthday present. 

Once they got in, Keith realized how much had changed since he was last there. The room that was once bare was now covered in posters and anything space related. The bed had white blankets with constellations scattered across it. She had some glow stars stuck on the wall, and too many model rockets to count. Two beanbags sat in the corner, and a telescope stood beside the desk under the window. 

“Alright then,” Pidge grinned deviously and plopped on the bed, crossing her legs in front of her. “What brings you to my domain?”

Keith chuckled, “well I have something that only a scientist could answer so, I figured I could have my much smarter, much more annoying,” this gained him punch to the shoulder, “friend take a look?” 

She patted the space beside her, “sounds good, lemme see.” Keith walked over and sat on the bed, slowly taking off his gloves and holding his breath as she looked at the paint. “What’s so weird about this? This is called paint Keith,” Pidge slowed her speech as if she was talking to a child. “It’s this stuff that you _ paint _ with.”

“Oh shut up,” Keith groaned and shoved her playfully. “I know what paint is, dumbass. What I don’t know is why it won’t come off.”

“What?”

“I’ve tried rubbing it, picking at it, scrubbing it, but it’s like it’s not even on my skin. It’s like it’s-”

“Part of your skin.”

Keith nodded. “Yeah…”

“You do know what this means, don’t you?” Pidge held an almost sincere look in her eye, curious yet sincere. “Keith, this is your Soul String.”

Keith’s heart fell, of course it was his Soul String. He let himself fall back, his head leaning over the edge of the bed. “But I don’t  _ want  _ it to be my Soul String Pidge. I don’t need this right now.” 

“Keith,” Pidge hopped from the bed, going to the desk and opening her laptop. “You can’t ignore this, you know what happens if you do.” Keith nodded, closing his eyes and letting the blood rush to his head. Pidge typed away at the computer, pulling up a private document she had kept in a folder no one was allowed to look in. Ever. 

“What’s that?” Keith opened his eyes and rolled onto his stomach. 

“I’ve been keeping notes on this for a while now, ever since Mayor Zarkon’s wife had her… episode. Anyways, the whole idea of Soul Strings is fascinating to me, I mean it’s almost incredible! You write on your skin, and it appears on someone else’s! Someone that’s supposedly your “soulmate” and such. How does that-”

Keith groaned, “straying Pidge, you’re straying.”

She shot him a glare, mocking his voice and rolling his eyes. “You’re straying Pidge blah, blah, blah. Look, if you want me to get to the point I will. You can’t ignore this, your soulmate will get hurt if you do. You know this. I don’t know how it happens, it just does. When the Mayor lost his memory of his wife she, well, you know what happened to her.”

“Yeah, she pretty much lost it. A heart attack,” he let his voice trail off.

“Exactly. She almost died from a ‘broken heart’ Keith. You don’t have to fall in love with whoever this is,” Pidge motioned to Keith’s arm, “but you do have to respond to them. If they go their whole lives knowing that the person on the other end was rejecting them without an explanation, their heart would break.” 

Keith sighed and rubbing his eyes, sitting up and playing with the hem of his black shirt. “I know, but what if I just, write to them now and say I’m not interested?”

“Because Keith,” Pidge rolled her eyes once more, “don’t you think that would be a dick move? I mean even for you that’s pretty harsh. Come on,” she jumped back onto the bed, handing Keith a red marker. “Just, say hi. Pleeeeaaase?” 

“Ugh, fine,” Keith snatched the marker from her grip.

“Yay! Okay, I’m bored, lemme braid your gross mullet or something.”

“It’s not a-”

“Write!” Pidge grabbed a hair-tie from the bedside table and began tugging at Keith’s hair. 

The boy looked down at his arm, taking the cap off the marker and hovering the tip over his wrist. He took a long breath, letting it out shakily before letting his arm fall beside him. “Nope, I can’t do it.”

“Oh give me that,” Pidge groaned before taking the marker. She grabbed his arm and held it down, attempting to write a word. However it only came out as a line when Keith yanked the marker harshly from her grasp.

“Pidge! What the fuck?!” Keith shoved her, nearly causing the smaller to fall off the bed. She would’ve shoved back if she wasn’t laughing so hard. 

“Oh my god,” Pidge cackled, holding her stomach and leaning over as she wiped her eyes. “Oh my god, this poor guy, the first thing he gets is a fuckin’ line!” 

“This isn’t funny idiot! What if he thinks i’m like, 5 years old?” Keith remained glaring at her, too afraid to look back down at his arm.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Pidge began to calm down, standing up and rushing to the bathroom. “Here, I’ll get something to wash it off with before he sees it!” she called from the other room. 

“I’m going to kill you!” he yelled back, tugging his hair out of the tangles his friend had put it in and allowed it to fall back on his shoulders. Keith took a deep breath as he held back all temptation to look down.  _ It’s okay, you just did it, he probably hasn’t seen yet. _

Pidge rushed back in with a grin still plastered across her face, still clearly finding the situation hilarious. “Okay, here ya go-” her voice came to a stop as Keith felt her gaze on his arm. 

“Don’t, don’t even say it.”

“Let’s hope he’s as good in bed as he is at responding to you-” 

“Pidge!” Keith grabbed a pillow from behind him and slammed it against the girls face, causing her to stumble back as she held in giggles. “Fuck you.”

“Uh huh,” she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Who cares, he knows you’re there! I think… Come on, look!”

Keith bit his bottom lip, ripping his gaze from Pidge and moving it to where she’d drawn the sloppy line. Instead of words of confusion or such, whoever was on the other side simply turned the line into a stick figure. Keith’s eyes went back up to his friend, the sheer look of frustration crossing his face. 

“Okay he thinks he did it, he probably just thinks that he accidentally got marker on his arm and decided to make the most of it,” Keith laid down and let a breath out he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Do that again and I’ll probably murder you. Now let me wash it off.”

“If you do that, dumbass he’ll know for a fact that you’re there.” Pidge sat back on the bed in front of him. 

“But I don’t want this on my arm,” Keith lifted it up, then allowed the limb to flop back down beside him. 

“Make up your mind soon man, dinner’s gonna be ready soon and unless you wanna burn alive with a hoodie on, I suggest you make your move now,” Pidge got up to sit at her desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a half eaten candy bar. She gave it a single look, shrugged, and took a large bite.

“Do I even want to know how old that is?”

“Nope,” she responded, taking another bite. “Tell me what your boyfriend says if you get the courage to respond.” 

“He’s not my- oh nevermind,” Keith grumbled as he lifted his arm in front of his eyes to peer at the marks decorating his pale skin.  _ At least he’s talented. He could’ve been a car engineer or something, grease and oil would be frustrating to hide.  _ He sighed to himself as he rubbed his eyes, wanting life to go on pause for just a little longer. Things were fine, he didn’t have to worry about another person rejecting him or losing anyone else. And now this. 

“Here,” Pidge, tossed a baggy hoodie to Keith, sending a sincere look his way. “You’ll be fine, I don’t suggest waiting too long but taking tonight to think should be fine.”

“Thanks Pidge,” Keith smiled back, tugging the clothing over his head and letting the sleeves fall over his hands. “Who’s hoodie is this anyways?”

“Technically it’s Matt’s, but he left it behind for me to wear while he’s gone,” she explained, shrugging as if it was no big deal. 

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“As long as you give it back before you leave it’s all good, I don’t mind. Now come on, food’s probably ready. And if it’s not we can bug my mom about how long it’ll take,” Pidge said with a grunt, hopping from the chair. The two made their way through the hall and down the stairs, only to be greeted by the family dog. Bae Bae was a large animal, able to scare anyone if she needed to. Though as she stumbled excitedly to Pidge and Keith she was definitely much less threatening. Keith bent down to pat her head, chuckling as she let out a light bark in response.

“Keith!” The boy looked up, recognizing the voice immediately. “It’s been much too long!”

“Hey, Mrs. Holt,” Keith stood, smiling guiltily. “Sorry, things at home and at school have been pretty hectic, thanks for having me over on such short notice.”

“Nonsense, you’re welcome over at any time. And how many times must I tell you, you’re allowed to call me Colleen.” The woman before him grinned brightly, brushing back hair that had strayed in front of her face. Just like Pidge her hair was pretty short, not as choppy but curling right under her ears.  _ Wow, I forgot how happy this family is, it’s almost exhausting, _ Keith chuckled to himself.

“Right, of course, my bad,” he rubbed the back of his head.

“Alright, cheesy welcome backs over, can we eat now?” Keith never thought he’d be more thankful for Pidge’s voice, only happy to be taken out of the awkward silence that had begun to settle in. He was more than grateful for being so welcome in the Holt House, in fact he was there more than he thought he should be. Of course he loved Shiro, more than anyone else, but sometimes he just needed some time off. 

“Yeah, yeah, sit down and get some patience while you’re at it we have a guest,” Colleen huffed as she walked back to the kitchen, Keith following close behind. 

“Well, he practically lives here Mom,” Pidge rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. However her expression completely altered as she noticed the food being brought into the dining room. A plate of sausage, mini-pancakes and eggs all covered in syrup was set on the table in front of where she sat. Keith took his seat beside his friend, sighing in relief to see his plate set before him. It contained the same food as Pidge’s, however the only topping he had was a square of butter on his pancakes. 

“How do you eat that,” Keith looked to Pidge, scrunching his nose. 

“Um, sheer willpower and normal taste buds?” Pidge chuckled, shoveling the meal into her mouth. “I can’t believe you’re so bland, syrup adds a little bit of flavor to every portion of one’s meal, you just have a slab of butter. Which by the way is already in pancakes, so you’re just overloading on carbs.”

“Katie!” Colleen let out a laugh, ruffling her daughters hair. “Even so, the poor boy needs to eat, we invited him to dinner so we’re going to feed him just that.”

Keith let out a light chuckle as well, “thanks Mrs.- Colleen, I hope I’m not too much trouble with my  _ extra slab of butter.” _ He mocked his last words towards Pidge, resulting in the other to stick out her tongue in retaliation. 

Colleen then joined the two with her own plate of food and the three ate with laughs and light conversations. It felt so safe Keith wasn’t sure if it was real. It really had been weeks since he sat down and had an actually dinner with more than one other person, and something that wasn’t take out for that matter. Bits of guilt sat in his stomach, as Spring Break was over in a week and Keith wasn’t even home with his brother before he went back to college. He understood that he should be home but, he really just needed a break. He needed a family dinner, someone to remember what he liked to eat, what he was allergic to and all things he was picky about.

At first he felt bad about always eating at the Holt’s place, he barely touched his food whenever he went. He thought he was wasting the food or just making them spend too much extra time to prepare it for him. It took years for him to get comfortable with just coming down and eating as if he’d been living with them his whole life. He’d been friends with Pidge since they were little, but he hadn’t seen her dad or Matt in a few years. Sam (Pidge’s dad) had been accepted into this big space program, so of course he took the opportunity. Matt was brought into the University of Arizona, working in the Department of Astronomy. He was rarely home, and judging by how he hadn’t come back during break only made Keith feel worse for Pidge. 

Keith’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden buzzing in his pocket; he wasn’t exactly a social person so there’s really one individual that could be contacting him right now. 

“Can I take this real quick?” the boy held up his phone, earning a nod from Colleen and a confused look from Pidge. The confusion turned to understanding. “Thanks.” With that he stepped away from the table, went through the living area and closed himself in the bathroom. 

“Keith?”

“Hey, Shiro,” he rubbed his eyes and leaned against the wall. 

“Hey, look I’m really sorry about earlier. If you haven’t eaten already I ordered pizza when you left so… just,” Keith could hear his half-brother sigh on the other end. “If you wanna come home there’s stuff here.”

Keith ran a hand through his hair, unable to keep the image of Shiro alone with their dad asleep on the couch out of his mind. He forced a light smile even with the knowledge that Shiro couldn’t see him.

“Yeah, sure I’ll be home later. There’s just some school stuff I need help on with Pidge then I’ll come back I guess.”

He felt Shiro smile back, “thank you Keith, really. I know things are boring and rough over here but-”

“No I get it, you’re only here for a while and Dad is trying really hard. I lost my temper, I’m sorry.” Shiro was really the only person Keith would apologize for his temper to, and he was sure that the older knew that as well. Despite their minor disagreements they were family, they stuck together. 

“Okay, see ya soon man. Love you.”

“You too Shiro.” The dial tone blared through the phone and Keith shoved the object into his back pocket. He looked once in the mirror, noticing the stress and exhaustion that carried through his features. He tugged at the hoodie sleeves and tucked a loose strand of hair back behind his ear.  _ Who am I kidding, I’ll just take a shower when I get back.  _

Keith stumbled out of the bathroom, peeking into the dining room to see Colleen sitting alone and scrolling through her phone. 

“Oh, Keith! Sorry, Pidge went upstairs, she figured you’d meet her up there. I cleaned up so don’t worry about putting your stuff in the sink,” she smiled softly. “Go on,” she gave a knowing look.

“Thank you Colleen,” Keith grinned back before heading up the stairs, making his way to Pidge’s room to find her reading some giant book on her bed. 

“What’s up gaylord,” Pidge muttered, clearly invested in whatever she was reading.

“Crime rates?”

“Bingo,” she sat up, giving her friend a pair of finger guns and a tongue click. “Shiro draggin’ you back home?”

Keith shrugged, pulling his hair back into a messy bun. “Well, he’s not dragging me back. I feel bad about getting pissed at him, he’s only back here for so long.” 

“Yeah I understand, if Matt were back I’d probably never leave the house,” Pidge chuckled to herself. 

“Oh, speaking of,” Keith realized as he began to tug off the hoodie, “here’s this back.”

“Right, thanks Keith,” Pidge stood and took the hoodie from the taller’s grasp. “You walking back now?”

He nodded, “yeah I am, might as well huh? Thanks for the help earlier by the way, I just, I don’t know what to do about it.” 

“Why don’t you ask him?”

Keith jerked his gaze to his arm, noticing a small message written on his wrist. He looked back up, his face full of worry and confusion. “Ugh, don’t tell me he knows I’m here.”

“Well at least your soulmate isn’t stupid, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure it out,” Pidge laughed and punched Keith’s arm playfully. “Don’t worry I won’t read it, those messages are private, they’re for you to read and for you to respond to,” she poked his chest. “Now go home, spend time with your brother, and work out this whole situation before it eats you alive.”

“Got it,” Keith smirked and rolled his eyes, stepping a foot out the door. “Thanks again you little gremlin.”

“Asshole.”

“Shut up,” he breathed out before leaving the room, closing the door shut behind him. He walked down the stairs, opening the door and taking a step outside. “Hey, I’m going home! Thanks again for having me!” he called back inside. 

“Of course, come back any time!” 

He left the house, closing the door behind him. Keith took in a long, deep breath, closing his eyes as he let it out slowly. He hopped down the steps of the front porch, jogging past the pinwheels as he stumbled down the driveway.

Shiro always scolded him for doing so, yet he could never help himself. Some sense of freedom came from walking in the road, a sense of knowing almost. As if he didn’t have to worry about the person on the other end of his soulstring or about how upset Shiro would look when he got home. He shoved it all aside, plugging his headphones in as he made his way home. 

  
  



End file.
